At first sight it may appear small and inconspicuous, tucked between the shops on Broadway just north of Pearl Street. Step in the door and you'll see a few tables, a case of pastries, and a menu with all your familiar coffee favorites. You can enjoy delicious food and drinks at the Unseen Bean and be on your way, but linger a bit and you'll find this little coffee shop holds much more than meets the eye.

Glance at the door and you'll see the Unseen Bean's logo, a dog with a blindfold bending over a cup of steaming coffee. The dog represents Midnight, companion and guide dog to the shop's founder, Gerry Leary. Gerry has been practicing the art of coffee roasting since he first encountered the process in 1994. He earned his certificate of Master Coffee Roaster at the San Fransisco Coffee Training Institute and founded the Unseen Bean in Colorado in 2001. He knows all the ins and outs of coffee roasting and tailors each order to his customer's specifications, meticulously recording his steps so he can recreate the order. And, if you haven't already guessed, Gerry does this all without seeing.

Though blind from birth, Gerry has never let his lack of sight get in the way of his goals. Before opening the Unseen Bean, Gerry owned Gerry's Auto Service, the result of a long childhood of tinkering with cars and learning about the trade from his father. When repairing cars began to wear on him and coffee roasting caught his fancy, Gerry looked for a roasting master to teach him the trade, but none believed a blind man could master the craft. Gerry turned to the Coffee Roasting Institute and to his own determination, founding a business that has been serving smiles and excellent coffee for a decade.

Gerry buys organic, shade-grown, fair trade coffee beans whenever he can, and every order is custom-made. The Unseen Bean is also remarkable in the fact that it doesn't use advertizing. It relies on excellent reviews from customers and public appearances to keep business flowing in. Next time you visit downtown Boulder, venture in to the Unseen Bean, where one man's passion and determination gives the coffee a flavor that's particularly rich and full.